


Late Night

by Vievin



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Carried to bed, Cuddling & Snuggling, Everyone Is So Tender, Fluff, Gen, Hien Rijin POV, Hien and Gosetsu spiritually adopt the twins, Literal Sleeping Together, Patch 4.0: Stormblood Spoilers, Platonic Cuddling, Sibling Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:01:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23897923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vievin/pseuds/Vievin
Summary: The night before the battle, Alphinaud and Alisaie fall asleep at the desk and don't wake up. It's up to Hien, Gosetsu and the Warrior of Light to ensure they get to bed.(Hien and Gosetsu put the twins to bed and everyone's way too affectionate and tender. That's it that's literally the entire fic)Update 2020/05/21: Rewrote the whole tags section and the author's notes.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Late Night

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy!

The gentle summer night was drawing to a close. The trembling anticipation of the coming battle had been replaced by tiredness hours ago, ushered away by the lull of the peaceful darkness and the faraway sound of waves lapping against the riverbank. Even the night guards were sent away, to regain their strength for the attack on Doma Castle in the morning. In fact, most were asleep in the House of the Fierce, save for one trio.

"...and then she tried to kiss me," Gosetsu, the aging samurai, finished his story, roaring from laughter. "To her credit, she did back off once I told her what's going on."

Hien laughed as he lifted his cup to his lips. "Kami, what I wouldn't give to have seen her face… You know, from what I recall, she used to have the biggest crush on you. Poor thing." He moved to drink, but found nothing but air. The cup was empty. He frowned, peering out of the door to see a sliver of the star-littered sky above the gorge that connected the House of the Fierce to the northwestern side of Yanxia.

"It's getting late. We should turn in," the Warrior of Light advised. They seemed pretty sober, albeit sleepy; Hien couldn't remember if they drank at all. He nodded.

"Aye. We'll be needed fresh and ready tomorrow." Gosetsu stood up, only swaying slightly in the motion.

"Alright. Good night to the both of you," he said, turning to where his personal chambers were situated, when the Warrior of Light spoke up again.

"Wait, what about them?" they motioned towards the table in the other end of the room, where two small figures were slumped over each other. Alphinaud and Alisaie had fallen asleep while making some last minute polishing on the battle plan - or rather, while Alphinaud made some last minute polishing on the battle plans and Alisaie watched - and the three of them had assumed that they would at some point get up and retire to their chamber, but evidently they had been so exhausted by the day that not even the loud carousing half a room over could wake them.

"That doesn't look comfortable," Gosetsu commented, the Warrior of Light nodding in agreement. It really didn't. Alphinaud's head was tipped forward with his back slumped, looking two seconds away from falling onto his meticulously written notes. Alisaie wasn't faring any better: her head rested on her brother's shoulder, her cheek pressing into it and her neck craned at an angle that made Hien wince. "Should we wake them?" Hien shook his head, once again looking outside.

"We better not. It's pretty late, and they need their sleep." The Warrior of Light tilted their head.

"But we shouldn't leave them here either," they commented. That much was true. Sleeping like that, they would get little rest and a wicked neckache to boot. "Maybe we could bring them to bed without waking them?" 

Hien moved to disagree with them, but looking at the two, slumped peacefully on each other, he couldn't bring himself to any other solution. Sighing, he shrugged and gave his consent. Gosetsu seemed to be on the same view, nodding in agreement.

Quieting down, the trio approached the sleeping twins. Gosetsu, more gently than Hien had seen him since he himself was but a child, lifted Alisaie's head and rested it on his upper arm as he reached down and lifted her. One of his huge hands nearly spanned the distance between her two shoulders, the other was under her knees. The girl shifted into a more comfortable position, making a light noise of discontent, but she didn't wake. Her braid, tied with a red ribbon, fell over Gosetsu's arm, looking like a silver waterfall flowing from his scarred skin. Her face, normally so fierce, was now peaceful, resting against the samurai's broad arm. Gosetsu stood as still as he could, looking at the sleeping girl with a look akin to adoration. Hien couldn't help but remember the man had a daughter once.

With Alisaie gone from his shoulder, Hien could take Alphinaud. Sliding his arms under his knees and shoulders as lightly as he could, he watched the boy's face intently as he slowly lifted him. To much his dismay, Alphinaud started to stir, his long lashes fluttering, albeit still closed, and he let out a small, confused sound.

"Sssh, Alphinaud. It's okay, go back to sleep," Hien whispered in a low voice as he adjusted the boy in his arms, now almost cradling him. Alphinaud just mumbled something Hien couldn't make out and relaxed again, his head falling against the man's chest, breathing falling in tandem with his. Hien sighed in relief, and turned to his companions, marveling at how light the boy was. 

Gosetsu just nodded and led the way to the twins' room. With the Doman resistance exploding in members, the House of the Fierce grew crowded, and when they ran out of bedchambers to provide, the twins offered to share one, as apparently they were used to doing back in Sharlayan. The Warrior of Light, after a moment of consideration, picked up the grimoire and rapier they had left on the table when they made themselves comfortable, and hurried after them to open the door for the two.

Inside the room it was dark and cool, illuminated by a single candle the Warrior of Light lit at the bedside table. They drew back the covers on the single large bed on the far wall as Gosetsu and Hien set the twins down, as gently as they could. Thank the kami, they didn't stir this time, two braids of silver hair splaying out on the pillow under them and their earrings, a pair for the both of them, clinking gently as they turned towards each other seemingly by instinct. 

Unconsciously, Alphinaud reached an arm out and drew his sister in to him, who in turn hooked a leg over the boy's knees and did the same. Their foreheads touched, a light smile drawing upon their faces as they cuddled close to each other, fingers intertwined, their near-identical features more prominent than ever in their proximity. Hien couldn't help but smile at the display. They may bicker and mock each other all day, but in the end, they were siblings,  _ twins _ , sharing a bond from their first day in the womb that nothing could replace. 

He motioned for the Warrior of Light and Gosetsu, who slowly drew the covers over the sleeping twins, who snuggled even closer in the slowly accumulating heat under the blanket. Hien reached out before he noticed he did, stroking Alphinaud's hair and tucking a stray strand of silver hair behind his ear. The boy gave a low, comfortable noise, still deep in his dreams. Hien wondered what he dreamt about.

"Good night, Alphinaud," he whispered. "Good night, Alisaie." He felt Gosetsu's fond look on himself, and returned a small smile. It was late and they were tired, their walls coming down.

The three left the room wordlessly, the Warrior of Light placing the twins’ weapons on the bedside table and blowing out the candle as they left, and shutting the door quietly behind them.

"Good night," they murmured to each other, too tired to even properly say goodbye, as they returned to their own chambers. Hien climbed into bed, feeling more content than he had in a long time, and he drifted off as soon as his head hit the pillow. He hadn't much time to rest until dawn, but he couldn't want for deeper sleep until then.

And at dawn, the battle began.

**Author's Note:**

> Not included in this fic: Alisaie throwing hands in the morning because people carried her to bed and saw her cuddle with Alphinaud.  
> Also not included in this fic: Alphinaud being mortified for the whole day because people carried her to bed and saw him cuddle with Alisaie.


End file.
